Time for some Friday Things:
1. Bon Appetit’s Food Trends for 2013
They say that blondies are the new brownies in item 23. I love brownies, but I have quite the extensive blondie and light-colored bars collection, and it’s growing. Weekly.
2. A few favorites are Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
Coconut White Chocolate Chip Blondies
3. I am in love with MacKenzie-Childs – I could get lost for hours and hours on their site. And spend thousands of dollars in like five minutes. It just goes on and on and on, from kitchen to home to garden.
Farmhouse Loaf Pan $135 and Baking Dish $160 are both gorgeous.
As is every single thing on their site and one thing just is more lovely than the next.
4. Not-Too-Sweet Wok-Popped Coconut Kettle Corn – No popcorn maker? No wok?
Me neither but I make popcorn almost every day.
I put two tablespoons kernels in a brown paper lunch sack, fold the top down, and microwave for 90 seconds. No added oil, nothing except just the kernels, and it works like a charm every time, every day for the past five years. And I can probably use the same brown bag at least ten times before grabbing a fresh one. How’s that for saving money. I sprinkle anything from cinnamon-and-sugar to nutritional yeast over the popcorn, sometimes with melted coconut oil, butter, or whatever I’m in the mood for.
I made the popcorn in the Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix with the brown bag method. Between the popcorn trick and the easy recipe, this party mix comes together in five minutes. A little too easy.
I also love putting coconut oil on popcorn. Chocolate Coconut Oil Protein Popcorn is an oldie but a goodie that uses chocolate protein powder.
5. The 20 Best Beauty Products Under $50 – A few items like a tub of Vaseline and yellow Clinique lotion made the list, and there are many products I’ve never heard of. My Sephora and adventuresome days of trying as many new products as possible are long gone. I’m about tried and true now.
I did a post a couple years ago Top 10 Drugstore Finds Under $10 with my personal favorites, like Carmex for my lips. I have a tube in every room, purse, bag, and car. I can’t live without it and nothing else works the same for me.
6. I thoroughly enjoyed Amanda’s post about Why You Should Never Start a Food Blog. For those who are bloggers, I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to some, if not all, of the post. Although there are negatives to it, and everything she said I can relate to, all the positives I relate to and it’s what blogging is about for me.
I truly appreciate my readers and am grateful that people read my blog. I get to create recipes, make food, take thousands of pictures of it, write about, people make it, and tell me about it. How cool is that? To me, it’s the coolest and the best.
I said it recently in my December 2012 Recipes post, but I’ll say it again, thank you for reading my blog, commenting, emails, tweeting, making my recipes, or just reading in stealth and stopping by whenever you have a chance. I am grateful. Thank you.
7. How to Make Maple Cream – from Cooks Illustrated. That would be worth breaking out my candy thermometer for. I want to just turn my DVR on, get a spoon, and that’s my idea of a party on the couch on Friday night.
8. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, but do have a microwave and seven minutes, make Seven Minute Microwave Caramels
I made another batch, dipped them in melted chocolate and they were the best thing I’ve eaten this year.
9. I just got my monthly iHerb order. Right now they’re offering $10 dollars off all orders over $40, and $5 dollars off smaller orders.
Their prices are already hands down the cheapest on my daily probiotics, the nutritional yeast I sprinkle on everything from popcorn (item 4 above) to salads to kale chips. I get all my vitamins and supplements, bulk cinnamon, liquid vanilla stevia drops, bulk white stevia powder, and so many other things I use every day there.
With free shipping and a discount on top of already discounted prices, I always feel like I hit the jackpot. Enter code AVE630 at checkout to save your $5 or $10 bucks and go shopping.
10. Jazz Era Jewelry Box, $68 Anthro – I love the pink beading and vintage flair. My jewelry box just recently broke and this one is so pretty and girlie.
What are your Friday Things?
What do you think of the food trends for 2013? Any trends you’re sick of and want to see less of or more of? Any favorite beauty products? Kitchen tips or tricks? Popcorn fan?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
I’ve read that salted desserts and the salted caramel craze is going to continue. Although I do love my caramels and salty-and-sweet treats from time to time, salted caramel is definitely everywhere. I’ve read that people are sick of cake pops and cake balls. Is that true? I could never get sick of cake.
Have a great weekend and check back for giveaways!
A little late on this, but was catching up on reading! That Clinique lotion is one of my favorites! Also, I’m glad I’m not the only one who is in love with popcorn. Especially when it’s healthy!
Averie, what a great list! I love the jewelry box and the probiotics recommendation (I take some too but am actually looking for a change).
But most of all, I love the link to I Am Baker’s list of why/why not to start a food blog. I think ALL of us have struggled with many of the points she’s made, especially copying. I have found many of my recipes copied and pasted, practically, on other people’s sites… as if I’d never find out. It’s ridiculous.
Of course, it’s the amazing positives that outweigh the negatives, as she and you have both said. Recently I had a reader give me a compliment so profound, I thought, even if nobody ever reads this blog again I’ll still write it! Wonderful stuff.
Keep the great lists coming.
I’ve found my recipes and photography for sale on etsy many times as well as ebay. That’s when I’m like…really?! But I try to just forget about those things and move on b/c they are the less than 1%. The other 99%++ is awesome :)
And those probiotics are great. I was loyal to a Jarrow brand strain for years and when I switched to Dr. O’s I really feel like they are higher quality and I love them!
I love popcorn and have to try making it at home like that. So easy and healthy! I also read that post on blogging. It really struck a chord with me. Blogging is very difficult for me, feeling constantly rejected. I didn’t think it would be like this at all with me having to constantly fight the urge to give up.
Ahhhh I cannot wait until I have half an hour to myself later – I am going to make a big cup of tea and pore over the beautiful MacKenzie Childs website it looks soooo my type of thing, thank you for bringing to my attention. Will try to have some self control. And I must make those coconut blondies, how have I missed those? Btw, do you tend to bake your bar recipes in glass or metal pans? And what do you think of those silicone baking pans? I love the idea that you can just turn the bars out perfectly from them but I am suspicious that they won’t conduct heat like good old metal and might mess up the baking times. Also I am just generally wary of weird plastic-looking stuff although I think they are said to be very food safe etc. but I have never really trust them enough to try.
I recently got into the green smoothie and raw food trend and have subscribed to about 50 different blog sites. Most of the posts I get I read, and delete. YOUR posts, however, usually get moved into a folder where I can go back to look at them again and drool over the pictures. So far I have saved over 150 posts! Your recipes sound so good – your raw apple pie is one of my favourites that I have tried. Keep up the good work and keep sending those delicious pictures!
Dianne this is such an awesome comment and high praise…you have 150+ posts of mine saved! That is amazing! That’s half a year’s worth :) I am flattered that you like my recipes and photography so much! And that you’ve tried things and you’re so pleased. Thanks for taking the time to write!